Application for competence assessment for practising within the General Scope of Practice: Occupational Therapist

Competence assessment application

Applicants need to complete the Competence Assessment Application Form when applying for a practising certificate and

• they have never been registered in New Zealand before, or 
• they are not a recent New Zealand graduate, or
• they are a previously registered New Zealand practitioner and have not practised in New Zealand at any time during the last three years, and have not practised overseas for two years or more during the last three years.*

*Instead of submitting a competence assessment application, some previously New Zealand registered practitioners may provide a competed Attestation of Competence Form from an occupational therapist with whom they have worked overseas for at least six months continuously. This option only applies if the applicant has previously been registered in New Zealand, and has practised overseas for at least two years during the last three years.

Current fees are listed on the Fees page.

General guidance for completing the competence assessment application

The OTBNZ assesses competence in seven areas to determine minimum entry-level competence for an occupational therapist to be registered in New Zealand, in order to practise in the General Scope of Practice: Occupational Therapist.

In preparation for completing this competence assessment application, applicants should review the OTBNZ’s competency document ‘Competencies for Registration as an Occupational Therapist’.

The competence assessment application is a self-appraisal to enable the OTBNZ to assess the applicant's competence to practise in the New Zealand context, using the seven competencies for registration as a structure.

Under each of the seven competences for registration, there is an 'outcome' statement. This ‘outcome’ statement is a summary of what the OTBNZ considers to be competent practice. By selecting some performance criteria for each competency area, the applicant writes a brief statement showing how he or she would achieve those performance criteria in  practice. Since the OTBNZ is assessing quality rather than quantity, choosing 4 to 6 performance criteria from each competency area is sufficient.

Competency 5 is about how the occupational therapist manages himself or herself both professionally and personally, how other people are managed, if relevant, and how he or she interacts with colleagues. Competency 6 is about management of the physical and socio-political environment, how resources available are used, and how the processes required in that environment such as documentation requirements, local practice guidelines and standards are managed. Competency 7 is about the ways of keeping up-to-date, reviewing and monitoring the practice, and personal use and/or contribution to research.

Two examples of self-assessments are shown below:

• Competency 5.1: "As a community based therapist I carry out my practice autonomously but I am also a member of the multi-disciplinary team and actively participate in team decisions."
• Competency 6.3: "The service in which I work is funded only to assist people to manage within their own homes. I ensure that I work within this scope and when the client identifies community or work needs, I negotiate to refer them to another service."

There is no set number of words or a specific format for responses, and the Word document may be expanded as required, so there are no space restrictions. If the applicant has a current supervisor, he or she should be asked to endorse the application and to add comments where relevant. This endorsement is not a requirement, but will assist the OTBNZ in evaluating the application, particularly if the supervisor is willing to be contacted if necessary.

Guidance for practitioners who have not practised for a number of years

Non-occupational therapy skills usually fit under competencies 2-7. For example, safe, ethical and legal practice applies to any position or role the applicant may fulfil. In thinking about competency 1, facilitating occupation applies in many contexts, for example, child-rearing and sports. In preparing to complete the competence assessment application, a careful review of the OTBNZ’s competency document, while applying the principles to the non-occupational therapy roles the applicant has been involved in, will be of great assistance.

For additional information please email: enquiries@www.otboard.org.nz.